Pope commends Filipino Catholics for defence of life
Pope Benedict XVI has met with the first group of bishops from the Philippines to
make their Ad Limina pilgrimage to the Holy See. From now until March 2011, Asia’s
largest Episcopal Conference will be travelling to Rome for the five-yearly encounter
with the Pope and consultations with Curia officials.
Speaking to the first
group Monday, Pope Benedict focused on the Filipino people’s tradition as witnesses
to the Gospel in society, their faith and communion with the Holy See, as well as
the challenges facing the Church and nation today including the defence of life, rising
unemployment and attention to the weakest and poorest of society.
The Pope
began by recalling the : “generations of zealous Filipino clergymen, religious and
laity” who have “promoted an ever more just social order”, by proclaiming Gospel values
in society. He added that sometimes this task touches upon political issues, which
“is not surprising”, since the political community and the Church, while rightly distinct,
are nevertheless both at the service of “every human being and of society as a whole”.
Pope Benedict commended the Church in the Philippines “for seeking to play
its part in support of human life from conception until natural death, and in defence
of the integrity of marriage and the family” and he noted with appreciation “the Church’s
work to abolish the death penalty in your country”.
The Holy Father went
out to speak of the importance of a Catholic presence in the field of social communications
“to convey a hope-filled vision of faith and virtue so that Filipinos may find encouragement
and guidance on their path to a full life in Christ”.
Finally, Pope Benedict
noted that an essential aspect of proclaiming Christ to the world today is in the
Churches commitment to “economic and social concerns, in particular with respect to
the poorest and the weakest in society”. Noting that many Filipino citizens, “remain
without employment, adequate education or basic services”, he praised the work of
the bishops and the Churches charitable action on behalf of the poor. In conclusion
Pope Benedict expressed his appreciation of the Bishops on-going commitment to the
struggle against corruption, “since the growth of a just and sustainable economy will
only come about when there is a clear and consistent application of the rule of law
throughout the land”. Listen to the report by Emer McCarthy:
Full text
of Pope Benedict XVI’s address:
Dear Brother Bishops, I am pleased to
extend to all of you a warm welcome on the occasion of your visit ad limina Apostolorum.
I thank Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales for the kind words that he has addressed to me
on your behalf, and I assure you of my prayers and good wishes for yourselves and
for all the faithful entrusted to your pastoral care. Your presence here in Rome
strengthens the bonds of communion between the Catholic community in the Philippines
and the See of Peter, a communion which stretches back over four centuries to the
first offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice upon your shores. As this communion of
faith and sacrament has nourished your people for many generations, I pray that it
may continue to serve as a leaven in the broader culture, so that current and future
generations of Filipinos will continue to encounter the joyful message of the Gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ. To be such a leaven, the Church must always seek to find
her proper voice, because it is by proclamation that the Gospel brings about its life-changing
fruits (cf. Mk 16:15-16). This voice expresses itself in the moral and spiritual
witness of the lives of believers. It also expresses itself in the public witness
offered by the Bishops, as the Church’s primary teachers, and by all who have a role
in teaching the faith to others. Thanks to the Gospel’s clear presentation of the
truth about God and man, generations of zealous Filipino clergymen, religious and
laity have promoted an ever more just social order. At times, this task of proclamation
touches upon issues relevant to the political sphere. This is not surprising, since
the political community and the Church, while rightly distinct, are nevertheless both
at the service of the integral development of every human being and of society as
a whole. For her part, the Church contributes most toward the building of a just
and charitable social order when, “by preaching the truths of the Gospel, and bringing
to bear on all fields of human endeavour the light of her doctrine and of a Christian
witness, she respects and fosters the political freedom and responsibility of citizens”
(Gaudium et Spes, 76). At the same time, the Church’s prophetic office demands
that she be free “to preach the faith, to teach her social doctrine ... and also to
pass moral judgments in those matters which regard public order whenever the fundamental
human rights of a person or the salvation of souls requires it” (ibid.). In the light
of this prophetic task, I commend the Church in the Philippines for seeking to play
its part in support of human life from conception until natural death, and in defence
of the integrity of marriage and the family. In these areas you are promoting truths
about the human person and about society which arise not only from divine revelation
but also from the natural law, an order which is accessible to human reason and thus
provides a basis for dialogue and deeper discernment on the part of all people of
good will. I also note with appreciation the Church’s work to abolish the death penalty
in your country. A specific area in which the Church must always find her proper
voice comes in the field of social communications and the media. The task set before
the whole Catholic community is to convey a hope-filled vision of faith and virtue
so that Filipinos may find encouragement and guidance on their path to a full life
in Christ. A unified and positive voice needs to be presented to the public in forms
of media both old and new, so that the Gospel message may have an ever more powerful
impact on the people of the nation. It is important that the Catholic laity proficient
in social communications take their proper place in proposing the Christian message
in a convincing and attractive way. If the Gospel of Christ is to be a leaven in
Filipino society, then the entire Catholic community must be attentive to the force
of the truth proclaimed with love. A third aspect of the Church’s mission of
proclaiming the life-giving word of God is in her commitment to economic and social
concerns, in particular with respect to the poorest and the weakest in society. At
the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines, the Church in your nation took a special
interest in devoting herself more fully to care for the poor. It is heartening to
see that this undertaking has borne fruit, with Catholic charitable institutions actively
engaged throughout the country. Many of your fellow citizens, however, remain without
employment, adequate education or basic services, and so your prophetic statements
and your charitable action on behalf of the poor continue to be greatly appreciated.
In addition to this effort, you are rightly concerned that there be an on-going commitment
to the struggle against corruption, since the growth of a just and sustainable economy
will only come about when there is a clear and consistent application of the rule
of law throughout the land. Dear Brother Bishops, as my predecessor Pope John Paul
II rightly noted, “You are Pastors of a people in love with Mary” (14 January 1995).
May her willingness to bear the Word who is Jesus Christ into the world be for you
a continuing inspiration in your apostolic ministry. To all of you, and to the priests,
religious and lay faithful of your dioceses, I cordially impart my Apostolic Blessing
as a pledge of peace and joy.